Wednesday, January 28, 2009

1. What is Cheap Healthy Good?
Cheap Healthy Good is a blog dedicated to the advancement of frugal, nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life. All of our recipes, links, and articles go back to that main subject matter. Occasionally, we throw in some pop culture references for fun. (Like these 40 inspirational speeches in two minutes.) Our work has been featured in/on Lifehacker, BoingBoing, CNN.com, Time.com, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the CBS Early Show, among other exciting media outlets.

2. Who writes for the site?
Currently, three or four lovely people:

Kristen Swensson Sturt is the proprietor of Cheap Healthy Good, posting almost daily Monday through Friday. A Brooklyn-based writer with an MA in Media Studies, she currently works as Associate Editor at Grandparents.com. She'd like to become a better cook, eradicate mayonnaise from the face of the earth, and maybe meet Bono. Sometimes, when no one is looking, she talks to eggplant. E-mail her at cheaphealthygood@gmail.com.

Leigh Angel writes Veggie Might, a regular Thursday feature about all things Vegetarian. Like James Beard, Leigh is a former opera singer/musical theater performer. Unlike James Beard, she is not a 300+ pound culinary genius, but she tries. Leigh is a writer and editor who has met Bono, likes to ride bikes, and enjoys a good craft night. Give her a shout at leigh.angel@gmail.com.

Jaime Green's feature, Green Kitchen, shows up every other Tuesday and focuses on dishes that are as friendly to the environment as they are to your wallet and mouth. Jaime lives in the far reaches of Northern Manhattan with a cat named Meg and not enough light for an herb garden. She loves vegetables, science, Liz Lemon, and checking her email, which is jaime.green@yahoo.com.

Rachel writes the occasional recipe column and fills in for Kris and Leigh when they're away. She's an actor, writer, and aspiring cook. Given the opportunity, she will charmingly talk your face off about food.

5. What kind of recipes do you post?
Our recipes cover a wide swath of cuisines and preparation methods, but they’re mostly simple, delicious dishes made of whole foods. And love. But mostly whole foods.

6. Do you write your own recipes?
Occasionally. The majority of the food comes from other sources, which we always credit, often profusely. We hate plagiarism almost more than we hate anise.

7. What makes a recipe cheap and healthy?
Nutrition-wise, we concentrate mainly on recipes with lower calories and fat, and often find those dishes naturally contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than most others. (We do a LOT of fruits and vegetables around here.) The cost aspect is somewhat subjective, but with few exceptions, most dishes fall between $1 and $8.

8. Why do you concentrate on supermarket shopping? Aren’t farmers markets, CSAs, and gardens the way to go these days?
Alas, CHG reflects our cooking and shopping experiences, which are limited by location and budget. However, we make it a point to emphasize fresh, whole foods, and avoid most packaged and convenience products. Our current goal is to move toward more environmentally sustainable, ethically mindful foods. In the meantime, we’re making do with what we have.

9. But you’re not above using Stove Top, canned beans, and store-bought broth. What’s that all about?
We do what works for us, and occasionally, our schedules necessitate shortcuts. Also, try as she might, Kris is perpetually unable to rehydrate dried chickpeas. It’s becoming a self-esteem issue.

10. How do you determine the cost of a recipe?
We price food according to what we paid at the time we prepared it, and only calculate for the amount USED, as opposed to the amount BOUGHT. In other words, if we purchase a five-pound bag of flour, and only use a cup for a muffin recipe, the numbers reflect the price of the cup. It’s assumed we’ll use the rest of the flour for other dishes. Make sense?

11. How do you determine the calorie and fat content of a recipe?
If we’re calculating ourselves, we use Calorie King, Nutrition Data, and Fresh Direct as sources of nutrition information. If a major publication lists the numbers, as Cooking Light often does, we take it directly from them.

12. What’s your readership like?
Right now, we’re pulling about 15000 readers per day. They tend to be men and women of all ages, hailing from all demographics, and most have an abiding love of cornbread and George Clooney.

13. Your pictures suck. You should invest in a lighting kit or a decent camera.
Oh yeah? Well, you should invest in your FACE. (Zing!)

For #10: Really, Women of all ages? Damn....in that case I need to get a certain appendage amputated...how will I think?!?! ;)

But seriously, I think you'll find that a lot of men cook these days (or at least in my generation (24)). And if my brief but ongoing experience in the US means anything....many, many, many women can't cook either.

As for better pictures: try putting stuff in window sills, with ample natural light. Also, IT'S ABOUT THE FOOD, NOT THE PRETTY PICTURES!!!!!!! Think of failed cinnamon french toast....sure it looks like a pile of dog vomit, but it certainly doesn't taste like it (not that I know how dog vomit tastes).

My fiancee and I love checking out your site to see what is cooking. Your blog helped influenced us to start our very own. I hope you do not mind but I put a link to your site on our blog www.cookingforzo.blogspot.com If you would rather I take down the link just shoot me a quick message at frankeyser@gmail.com and I will do so. Keep up the tasty work!

You seem to have a nice site, I'm sad that you're part of Frugal Hacker though...sorry, I can't support people that support the whole "You have to have a Christian Worldview" to join. Intolerance isn't Christ's way.

I'm really excited to delve more into your site (that sounds violating, but I swear it isn't). Big fan of Pioneer Woman, but darn it, those sticks of butter have created havoc on my waistline. Maybe if I lived on a ranch that exercise would counter it, but I don't. So now I'm pudgy. Pudgy Woman. And I love George. Thank you.

Hello there! I love your sense of humor and this lovely blog in general :)

this is probably a strange request, but I am a university student and I am discussing one of your posts (not in a good/bad way, simply looking at rhetoric and context) in a paper. I just wanted to ask who wrote "Food, Money, Culture: Why Biggest Loser May Be the Most Important Show on TV"; I suspect it is Kristen since it was posted on a Wednesday, but I want to be sure. Thanks in advance and sorry it sounds so weird!

OMG you guys are hilarious! Just found your site and am planning on browsing right after this post! I provide video recipes for meatless monday and am always happy to provide meatless recipes if you ever need them :-)

HI. I just stumbled upon your blog, and I must say, I'm glad I did. I have committed myself to healthier eating and exercise, (as I didn't do enough over the past 30 years and now it's catching up with me.) Your recipes look delicious, and your writing is funny. (LOVE the "...invest in your FACE" comment!)Is it ok if I include your site in my blogroll? That's the easiest way to remind me to check it often. Keep up the good work, you guys rock!

I have recently happened upon (oh, the providence!) your blog and adore it. Thank you for the excellent, thorough and delightful recipes and for the quirky banter. Of course, I might just feel this way because I fit in your demographic what with my love of cornbread and George Clooney.

Hi, I am new to blogging and wondered how to"follow" your blog,I usually find the button to click but can;t find one...I have really enjoyed all I've been reading, and wanted to have it handier than a bookmark...

You guys are adorable! i just found you when looking for roasted chickpea recipes and am going to try yours. Of course I am going camping this weekend so perhaps chickpeas are not the best idea when in closed quarters in a tent for a night but I'll worry about that later. Looking forward to following your blog!

*Snort*! Also, SWEET! Just found you lovely Ladies a few days ago, I'm so hooked. I say 'sweet' all the time, and love cheap healthy good food. Sweet! Ha. Also, sorry Ladies, but Jon Hamm has completely retired the Cloon-ster. Get it together! :-) Thank you for this awesomely snarky, yummy site!

I just found your blog today and I'm very very excited. I'm overweight, on a tight budget and I like to cook. I'm pretty sure reading your blog and trying the recipes will make the transition to a healthier lifestyle enjoyable.

Hi! I have really been enjoying your blog, so I added you to my list of "foodie blog shoutouts" on my own blog! I have a great group of dedicated readers that really enjoy the recipes I post, but I can't possibly link all of the ones you have that make my mouth water. If you have a page of other blogs you enjoy, I'd love to be on it (if you enjoy my blog as well). Thanks again for the wonderful recipes!

I was on the verge, moments ago, of purchasing a "diva's" pricy ebook with a few recipes when I came to my senses and decided to just google what I had been wanting. I searched, I kid you not, "cheap healthy good recipes", and voila! I am thrilled I found you all! I'm drooling over some of the recipes and have had to redo my grocery list. I have got to try the peanut lime noodles this week. Oh, and if you see George Clooney, tell him he left his socks on the floor. Again. sighhhhhhh :)

So in love with this site! Been on it all evening posting comments and jotting down recipes. I'd love to be able to search recipes by name, and have a way to get an email notification when new comments are made on the thread I posted on. In lieu of these, can i have a pony for christmas? :)

I LOVE this site! Thanks so much for the service you're providing to people who can do cheap, can do healthy, can do good, but find it hard to do all three at once!! The detailed cost/nutrition information is so helpful, and the recipes I've tried are, indeed, good.

Hello There,I just wanted to see if you were currently interested in additional guest bloggers for your blog site.I see that you've accepted some guest posters in the past - are there any specific guidelines you need me to follow while making submissions?If you're open to submissions, whom would I need to send them to?I'm eager to send some contributions to your blog and think that I can cover some interesting topics.Thanks for your time,Tess